Thursday, February 05, 2009

Jhinge Chingri Posto

Ridge Gourd & Shrimp in Poppy Seed Paste

Jhinge or Ridge Gourd is not one of my favorite veggies, never was, in fact I hated it as a child and even when I was no longer a child. The dish I hated most with Jhinge was Jhinge Posto, I absolutely lurrrrved (that is some twisted form of love it seems) , really truly loved Posto and that includes Alu Posto, Posto Bora, Ka(n)cha Posto blah, blah except of course Jhinge Posto.

I felt Jhinge totally ruined Posto's personality and would become emotionally upset on days Ma made Jhinge Posto. Yeah, I was that attached to my food.

So when my Ma was here and she said "Why don't you get some Jhinge, I will make JhingePosto", you can well imagine my reaction.

I gasped, grunted and was about to faint when she said "Chingri debo" ("Shall add shrimp to it")

That helped because I lurrrv (BTW what is this "lurv", is it some different emotion altogether, I am hating it, makes me think up a larva) or rather really really love Shrimp, Prawns, Lobster, all crustaceans, blah, blah, blah. Anything with shrimp in it cannot be less than desirable for me.

So I got her those Ridge Gourds in their sharp armors, pretty defensive for a soft veggie like that I say. And she made Jhinge Chingri Posto, ahhhhhhh and it was absolutely, lip-smackingly delicious. I would give up a chocolate cheesecake for that Jhinge Chingri Posto and some Rice, I am telling you.

I should tell Big Sis S "Be like a prawn, make the mundane desirable by your mere presence and if someone is allergic to you avoid them and move on". Isn't that a great life's lesson !!!

BTW do we still call Big Sis S that in this blog or do we have a different name for her ? From the comments I feel I am making her look too big and responsible for her age.What say all ye veteran readers who have seen Lil' S grow up right here?

Jhinge Chingri Posto

How I Did It

Prep: Peel skin of 3 ridgegourd and chop in small pieces. Cut 1 potato in cubes. Dry grind 2 tbsp of Poppy Seeds.Defrost 12-15 frozen medium sized shrimp or if using fresh, clean and de-vein. Cut the shrimp in pieces and lightly fry with turmeric and salt.

Start Cooking:

Heat Mustard Oil or any other Oil in a Frying Pan

Add 1/4 cup of chopped red onion and 4-5 slit green chillies

Saute with a sprinkle of 1/4 tsp of sugar till the onion is pinkish brown and translucent

Add about 1 cup of cubed potato or 1 potato chopped in cubes

Fry with a little Turmeric till the potatoes are light golden in color

Add the chopped ridgegourd and fry for a couple more minutes

Add salt and 1/4 tsp of red chilli powder

The ridgegourd release water, so cover and let it cook in its own water

When the ridgegourd is still cooking in its own juice add the poppy seed powder. If you see there is not enough water add about 1-2 tbsp of water.

Give a good stir and cover and cook till the veggies are done and the water has all dried up

Trivia: The fruit of L. aegyptiaca commonly known as Ridge Gourd may also be allowed to mature and used as a bath or kitchen sponge after being processed to remove everything but the network of xylem. This version is called Lifah in Arabic, bholor jaal in Assamese, dhundul in Bengali, ghiya tori or nerua in Hindi.(from Wiki)

35 comments:

Oh my did u say Larva? Oh no u remind my husb who instantly throw the same word even worm seeing seafood, yuck! I stopped eating all seafood :( We make gourd and shrimp curry but posto sure something I would love it!

I am looking for a recipe for "Gota-seddho masala". Gota, literally meaning uncut, is a marvelous medley of winter greens and vegatables, eaten traditionally the day after Saraswati Puja when the ladies enjoy a no-cooking day (I can get used to this!!). It is very typical Bengali, please help resurrect this oft-forgotten spice mix!!

Do you co sleep with your baby:My daughter H was an independent girl. I had P when she was 3.5, but she had been sleeping alone from the time she was 3yrs on her own. But P still doesn't - he tries to squeeze in most of the time or joins us in the wee hours of the morning, and he is nine!! When my husband is not here, P, H and I sleep in the same room, and my neck goes through severe strain. Each one insists I look at him or her while lying down!!! So howz that for future visuals?:)))

I can imagine your plight, and good na! Not becoming a third one's mother - imagining:) I have a friend who became and she manages beautifully - hats off!

Jhinge posto ekhono bhalo lage na .. earlier there would be a small pile of green in one corner of my plate while the aloo and the posto would be wiped clean .. not now as I am the cook. :-)Could almost visualise you stopping in your tracks as your ma added " chingri debo". :-)

I love ridge gourd thogayal (a kind of very dry chutney) and that is all that I think it's fit for - so can well imaging your aversion to be added into a posto dish! Brings down the standard sort of ;) well the shrimp certainly ups the standard on this dish! :)

BTW, couldn't comment on your co-sleeping post, but just wanted to add - my daughter was quite happy to move to her bed when she turned 2 and 1/2 last year and now comes into our bed about once in two weeks....best of both worlds! I'm sure you will cherish this co sleeping for some more time before it's gone!

I've never tried any posto dishes before! Gotta rectify that soon! The dish sounds delicious! And I like Little S and Littler A :)Hey it looks like you've been posting more these days, that too with 2 kids!! How are you managing that?! Kudos, San!

I should try more shrimp... it does look really delicious Sandeepa! Moms do have that way of turning our minds around... I guess as you will one day change your daughters' minds to liking their own beds! ;) They're only small for a short time; I am remembering fondly the same quandry now that m has turned 17 :)

ok this is how it goes....i dont like posto, arka does not like anything to do with any gourd (if i ever cook any, he avoids even looking at it, calling it "goulag" food) but we both lurrrrrrrrrrrrv :D prawns......so do you think this is worth trying ?? :) for all you know we may finally agree upon something that we like ......kinda like that song "when love and hate collide" :DDDD

Sandeepa, not sure how I missed this post, I have resorted to calling them DD and DD2. I kind of like big sis for S.

I am not fond of ridge gourd either but last summer when I got rained with ridge gourd I wanted to try this shrimp, ridge gourd combo and never got around to it (how could I have not, no idea) So the next time I get some decent ridge gourd I am going to give this a whirl. looks super tasty.

Hi. I am the founder of a chain of cosmetic treatments clinics in Mumbai. Don't let the surname fool you. I am Punjabi married to a Bong but divorced. I tried making the recipe as mentioned above but used a steamer. I also replaced the hilsa with the Kingfish Mackerel (surmai) readily available in Mumbai's fish markets. It tasted great. I had a question. Is a two-tiered steamer (with boiling water below and the fish placed in the compartment above) good for cooking this or should I stick to a pressure cooker for greater taste? Since the upper compartment had perforations for the steam to enter, I wrapped the fish and the accompanying sauce in banana leaf. When it was ready, the yellow fish pieces and sauce over the green leaf added a great visual accompaniment.

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Predominantly a Bong, who loves being a Mom and loves to cook among other things for the li'l one and the big ones.She loves to write too and you will find her food spiced up with stories. Mainly a collection of Bengali Recipes with other kinds thrown in, in good measure. A Snapshot of Bengali Cuisine